The present disclosure is generally related to wireless communication, and in particular, to frequency-dependent gain compensation in microwave and radio frequency transmitters and receivers.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Satellite-based and other wireless communication systems can be used to deploy communication network access to areas without the terrestrial infrastructure to support other forms of network connectivity (e.g., telephone or DSL lines, cable lines, fiber optic lines, etc.). For example, satellite networks can be deployed to provide internet access to wide regions of users that are either mobile or too remote for wired connections to be feasible. Similarly, point-to-point wireless data communication systems (e.g., microwave transceiver networks) can be used to connect computer networks of two or more geographically separated facilities to enable increased connectivity and data sharing between computer systems and users in those networks.
Connections using wireless communication systems can be deployed more quickly and, in some instances, at lower costs relative to installing traditional wired or fiber optic connections. However, due to the bandwidth limitations and latency issues of traditional wireless connections relative to the wide bandwidth capabilities of wired or fiber optic connections, wireless systems have often been used as connections of last resort. For instance, users in remote areas typically have limited options. Such users may have access to traditional telephone and dial-up data services over a public switched telephone network (PSTN). But because PSTNs may have limited quality and reliability in such remote areas, many remote users may resort to satellite-based wireless connections for data or Internet access. Traditionally, such satellite-based wireless connections have offered only marginal performance improvements over dial-up type services, but with the advantages of improved reliability (i.e., availability and uptime). However, such advantages can be costly.
Since each location's hardware (e.g., modem, transceiver, antenna, etc.) must be installed and aligned individually, the cost of installation, especially in remote areas, may be significant. In addition, because of the small user base and traditionally narrow bandwidths, conventional satellite communications systems have yet to achieve economies of scale. Consequently, installation and subscription costs for satellite based wireless connections can be prohibitive for many casual users.
Recently, the speed and bandwidth of various satellite-based and other wireless connections have increased significantly. Satellite systems with increased bandwidths, improved spot beam handling, and frequency reuse, have improved the data capacity and the speed of satellite communication to the point that some systems are now competitive with traditional wired high speed connections in terms of both cost and performance.